The Ring

In the midst of negotiations between the wind and water clans, the clouds parted revealing the king sun surrounded by a ring of light. It has been foretold that the halo around the sun is a sign of God’s blessing, thereby, marking the end of the century long dispute between the warring clans. To further strengthen the covenant, a son and a daughter from the wind and water clans would be united in marriage. Gathering all skilled artisans and masons, two rings were forged from the wind clan’s royal sceptre and water clan’s regal chalice. Only the chosen couple are allowed to wear the rings and upon them is the main task of keeping the peace between the clans.

Fifty years passed and both clans lived in harmony. However, the rings that bear the promise of peace became a symbol of power and authority as the ring bearers and their family acquired great wealth and held important positions. At the time, a certain boy from the wind clan was complaining about the strenuous mental and physical training they were putting him through. Being the first born son in the house of Kazehaya, he was appointed as the successor of the ring by the council of elders. Still a child, immature and hard headed, he never wanted any of it. While other kids his age were playing freely outside, he was locked in the confines of their mansion, as the greatest teachers groomed him to be the next ring bearer. 

He wanted adventure and excitement, so while his teachers and guards weren’t looking, the boy sneaked out one afternoon to have a taste of freedom. Running through the woods, he finally reached the river that once separated the water and wind clans. It was now connected by a bridge as a sign of their friendship. However, despite being the successor of the ring, he had never gone to the water country. What lies beyond the river always piqued his interests. 

As he was about to cross the bridge, he heard a rustle from the bushes. Cautious, he stood his ground and waited for what would happen next. Minutes later, he heard a voice calling a name from the other side. A little puppy barked as it squeezed its way out while a girl emerged out of the trees. Leaves were sticking out of her braided hair and her blue yukata was covered with dirt. Amused, the boy darted across the bridge and greeted the girl in the friendliest way he could. A bit startled by his sudden appearance, the girl combed strands of her hair with her hand and brushed off the dirt on her dress. In doing so, her necklace dangled in front of her. On it was a ring with a blue sapphire gemstone, the exact replica of his ring except that his has a diamond.



“And I’ll end at this part. Let’s continue with the storytelling next week,” he chuckled humorously while my classmates groaned as the bell sounded the end of our class. Takashi-sensei, our homeroom adviser, was telling us the third instalment of his water-and-wind-clan story, and I am amused on how engrossed my classmates were. We are middle-schoolers for crying out loud. I don’t know about the boys, but for the girls it was all about sensei. 

At 23 years, Takashi Shouta-sensei is the newest and youngest addition to the faculty. The smart, kind and charming math teacher instantly became the most popular guy in school. 

As we were walking towards the school gate, Midori-chan whined. “I don’t care if school is over. I would gladly stay to find out what happens next. I’m sure she is his future wife.”

“Good, now you don’t need to listen to the rest of the story,” I retorted casually, knowing full well that Midori only wants to spend more time with sensei but more than that, I loved teasing them. 

“Bu-but…” 

“He’ll fall in love with her and will find meaning in his training. The wind boy will do his best to prove his worth as the successor. Their love will blossom but fate won’t be too kind on them. On the day of their engagement ceremony, the water girl will be stripped off her right as the ring bearer because of the arrival of her uncle’s so-called daughter. Only the daughter of the first born son has the right to wear the ring. Water girl runs away, wind boy goes after her, water girl breaks it off with him, followed by all the drama. The end."

I must have been a really good story teller for they gaped and stared at me dumbfounded. Next thing I know, Midori was shaking my shoulders while the others bombarded me with questions.

“How’d you know the story?”

“What’s the name of the book?”

“Is it in the school library?”

There is no book, for it is the real story of Takashi-sensei and my Kasumi-neechan. Seriously, that guy still hopelessly loved my sister. It has been two years since their break-up and clearly, he hasn’t gotten over her. I bet, he had replayed all those moments with her over and over, to the point that his mind even made up a fictional story, thus the birth of the water-and-wind-clan stories. It was so obvious that he is the wind boy from his first name which means, to soar. Oneechan is water girl because our family name is Shimizudani. Shimizu means pure water.

Their marriage was decided long before their birth to merge our families’ companies. They say it was truly a match made in heaven. He was the prince in school, excelling both in academics and sports while she was the smart and understanding student council president. 

“Tell us!!”

I snapped back to reality as their voices almost damaged my eardrums. My friends have completely surrounded me, their patience almost at their limit. 

“I just made that up,” I lied, walking away from them.

“You completely got us there,” Sayuri-chan chuckled as she caught up to me.

“Maybe, I’ll just take sensei’s place during story-telling time,” I joked but they took it seriously and disagreed.



Already past eight in the evening and just as I expected, sensei had reduced himself to a stalker as he stood by the lamppost across the street, looking at oneechan’s room. I wonder if she knew it as well. He had been doing that ever since he came here. 

It was love at first sight for Takeshi-sensei and I witnessed how he worked hard to earn her heart. Out of all the girls around him, it was oneechan whom attracted him the most. My sister is really kind-hearted and never gets angry easily. She has a warm smile that would make anyone feel good. It is the main reason why everyone liked her. 

However, oneechan didn’t agree to the arranged marriage and him being confessed to by lots of girls made her avoid him even more. Despite all that, sensei never gave up in pursuing her. He did everything to win her, even getting to the good side of her only sister, me. And boy, I had so much fun. Sensei had unbelievably put up with my pranks and interrogations and took my opinions seriously. For that, he gained my approval.

Sensei showed in the best way he can how much he loved her for her and not because of what their parents decided for them. As a result, he received the most wonderful gift anyone could give in his birthday – her heart. 

The love that blossomed during their third year in high school grew stronger even though pursuing different studies in the university. Anyone could tell that they were really meant for each other for everyone is blessed by their relationship. Even though it’s too much for me to take in their sweetness, the smiles on their faces and the glow in their eyes made me happy as well. They valued each other so much.

Sadly, it had to end. The celebration of their engagement ended with the appearance of a woman and her daughter. She claimed that her daughter is the true first daughter in the house of Shimizudani, even showing legal papers about her marriage with uncle, the family’s first born. Uncle passed away a year ago, and at the moment, no one could falsify her claims. The Takashis took it the wrong way, accusing the family of not being true to our word. To make things worse, the adults started digging up old dirt. With that, the engagement was called off. How they escalated a trivial matter into such epic proportions was beyond me. Sensei’s pleas met deaf ears and oneechan left the hall in tears.

It was during one cold rainy night that oneechan ended their relationship, thinking that it was the best for both of them. Drenched completely by the rain and tears, sensei called out her name incessantly, begging her not to give up on their love, not to give him up. My ears hurt and heart throbbed hearing the pain in his voice. I ran outside with an umbrella and saw how devastated he was. At that moment, I was at a loss for words. Oneechan is the only one who could take away the pain but she locked herself inside her room, drowning in her tears.

Weeks passed and I could still hear oneechan crying inside her room. Sensei never stopped waiting for her outside the gate, hoping that she would reconsider her decision. How I wanted to scream at her for pushing him away but I knew it was hard for her as well. No one dared to go against our grandparents. She doesn’t want sensei to suffer the consequences of choosing to be with her. Needless to say, he was already suffering because of their break-up.

A year passed and the dispute has been resolved, thus, the engagement proceeded as planned. Only this time, it was our cousin who was engaged with sensei, even though how much he opposed to it. After that, I never heard from him again. Oneechan decided to leave the main house and I went with her. So, it was a surprise for me, to see him during the opening ceremony, even more when he became my adviser. All of it, was because of my sister.



Friday came and sensei continued his story. “Awwwsss” filled the whole room as the wind boy and water girl sealed their love after enduring so much hardship from the dispute between the two families. Sensei was still hoping for spending his forever with her. Right before dismissal, sensei asked us to write a reflection paper just like before. 

On my way out of school, I saw a figure kneeling on the ground. Approaching the person from behind, I realized it was sensei. Without thinking, I started searching even though I have no idea what it was he lost.

“I dropped my ring,” he said after a while. We had never talked ever since that night and I really missed my little conversations with him.

“Is it the diamond stone ring forged from the wind clan’s sceptre and water clan’s chalice?” I chuckled, expecting to hear his laughter, but his reply left me speechless.

“Yes.”

My eyes shifted from the ground to his, only to see that he was dead serious.

“Two rings were made for the first son and first daughter of each family as a symbol of the strong bond between the families. It held a promise that the bearers of the rings would live together as one,” his voice cracked as he continued looking for that ring.

This is the first time I would be hearing about those rings. No one told me about it, well, no one bothered about me anyway being the youngest. 

“Why are you holding on to that ring?” I had unconsciously voiced out my thoughts which made him stop from what he was doing. The rings that once bound their love were the same rings that kept them apart. 

“I’m giving it back to them. I am no longer the heir. That way, I would never have to marry another person aside from her.” His voice and eyes were filled with determination. However, it’s not as simple as that.

“I doubt the elders in our family would give oneechan to someone without rank or title. Work hard and reach the top, then, go get oneechan back.”



Three years passed and I saw him again. He was at our front porch, holding oneechan in his arms. I knew that the day would come when those two would finally be together. Their eyes were filled with tears of pure bliss as they cherished that moment. The only regret I had that time was not arriving home sooner but what happened next made up for it big time. 

Sensei or rather oniichan asked oneechan’s hand in marriage and it was total chaos at the main house. He finally reached the top, having his own company despite being put down several times by his own family. My cousin barged inside, blabbing about being the first daughter and the ring.

“Where is the ring?!” she shrieked staring at her left hand in disbelief.

“I lost the ring as well,” oniichan added calmly, holding my sister’s hand tight. “I am no longer the heir the moment I defied my family. I stand here not as the son of Takashi, but simply Shouta. Please, grant us your blessings.” He kneeled and bowed his head.

To my amazement, the elders accepted them without further discussion. I never thought it would be this easy. Then again, he was no longer connected to the Takashis, but a successful man in his own right. 

Although physically separated because of greed and power, their hearts never grew apart after all these years. Oneechan not once accepted a suitor, and oniichan had only his eyes on her.

Well, I had to give it to oniichan for turning their story into a happy one just like his wind-and-water-clan story.

The sight of a halo encircling the sun that morning welcomed me as I stepped out of the house. It was a sign of the coming rain. A wide grin crossed my face as my fingers played with something smooth and round inside my pocket,

"Those two really are blessed." 


 

 

The End